Railway tie



RAILWAY TIE Original Filed Sept. 25 1922 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 18, 1923.

STATES tenses sear series.

JOHN T. CLARK, OF PROVO, UTAH.

RAILWAY TIE.

Application filed September 25, 1922, Serial No. 599,264. Renewed June 9, 1923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN T. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Provo, in the county of Utah and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Ties, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway ties, and has for its object to'provide a channel tie made of sheet metal and having two portions duplicate in construction and hinged together about the middle of the tie, each provided with a rail seat and means for securing a rail thereon.

These objects I accomplish with the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar letters and numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views and as described in the specification forming a part of this application and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings in which I have shown a substantial embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tie. Figure 2 is a plan view ,ofthe tie, showing the rail seat and fastening means on one end portion of the tie and with the other end showing the rail seat without the fasteners. Figure 3 is a view in perspective of a portion of the tie with a short piece of rail secured thereon with my fastening means. Figure 1 is a plan view of a piece of sheet metal cut and punched but before it is bent to form one of the rail seats. Figure 5 is a view in perspective of one of the rail seats before it is fastened within the channel of the tie. Figure 6 is a view in perspective of one of the rail engaging clamps. Figure 7 is an elevation of one of the two coacting bolts used at the joint between the two sections of my tie. Figure 8 is a plan view of the insulating member. Figure 9 is a view in perspective of one of the insulation protectors.

In using metal ties it is highly desirable to have a tie with some resiliency and flexibility to prevent crystallization of the metal, and the present invention is intended to provide a tie'which may be flexed medially and which has some resiliency, and on which a rail may be firmly secured without using a spike, and with new and novel elements to carry out these purposes.

My tie is made of two eoacting portions or ends, duplicate in form and construction except at the junction, and each end portion consists of a piece of sheet metal bent into channel form A, having sides 1 and bottom 2. A portion of the bottom is cut out and the sides 1 adjacent said out are pressed or bent toward each other as at 3 for one end portion, and spaced apart to receive the sides 1 of the other end portion when bent together or contiguous, as at 4. A part of the metal is cut away adjacent the joint to allow the spring 6 and coacting bolts 7 to be secured in place between the two sections of my tie. The contiguous side shown at 1 and the adjacent sides shown at 3 are all punched to form an alined aperture or hole 8 through which is passed a pivot bolt or rivet 9 to fasten the two sections of my tie together and allow either end or section of my tie to be flexed or bent vertically up or down at said bolt 9 without moving the other end portion or section of the tie. To provide the resiliency at the pivoted joint of my tie, about one-half of the sides 1 is cut away adjacent the portions pivoted together and in the space out out are provided two coacting bolts 7 having square heads 10 to engage the ends of a spiral spring 6 that is carried on the two bolts. Each of said bolts 7 has a right angled bend 11 therein with threads cut on the extended part, and the said extended portion 11 of each bolt is passed through holes in the adjacent sides 1 of the channel and a nut is screwed on the threaded portion of each bolt 7 when assembling the tie. A portion of each ide 1 of the tie is out out as at 12, to receive the metal rail seat B, which consists of a piece of sheet metal shown in Figure 1, which is cut and punched and then bent into the desired shape to form one of the seats. A portion of each end of said sheet is bent at right angles to the main part of the sheet to provide flanges which engage the sides 1, as shown at 13. Small portions of said sheet of metal are bent upwardly, as at 14:, to engage the shoulder in the cut 12 and between which the base of the rail is held. The metal between the said flanges 13 rests on the sides 1 of the channel A within the said cuts 12. Other portions 18 of said sheet are bent downwardly at right angles to the general plane of the seat to provide supports for the seat portion, and each has apertures therein, two of which are given a slot form, as at 15, and two are round, as at 16, and through which the gripping bolts are carried. The corner portions 17 of said metal sheet are bent to contact with the sides of .the channel and are riveted thereto and are the means of fastening the rail seat 13 and channel A together. lwocoacting clamps 19 are provided, one end portion of which is given a hook form to engage the portions 18 of the rail seat within the slots 15, while the other end portion of said clamps is to engage the base flange of the rail when the two clamps are drawn toward each other by the gripping bolts: 20.

The assembling ott my tie maybe on the road bed if desired, each of the two sections having been previously given the channel shape, and the rail seat bent into the form shown in Figure The two sections are longitudinally placed, as shown in Figure 2, with the curved and contiguous portions of one section between the curved and adjacent portions of the other section and riveted together by the rivet 9'. By bending the tie at the rivet 9 th'e'two bolts, carrying the spring 6 between their heads, may be inserted at the bend 11 through their re spective sections and the nuts 2i screwed thereon, and when the tie is straight there should be but slight tension on said spring 6. The rail seats are then secured in place within the said channels at the cuts 12 by engaging the portions 13 over the edges of the sides 1 of the channels and riveting the portions 17 to the inner faces of the channel, with the members 18 resting on the bottom 2 of the channels. If -insulation is desired, a piece of insulating material 2-8 is provided as shown in Figures, which is placed on. the rail seat B with the two side wings bent upwardly and over the u-pp'er face of the rail base. An insulation protector 24 is placed on the said side wings of the insulating material, and the ra-ils'placed on said insulating material as supported by the rail seat. The rails are then secured in place by engaging the hooked end of the clamps 19 within the slots 15 of the rail seat and with the other end portion of each clamp resting on the base flange of the rail, and on the top of the insulation protector, if it is used. The bolts 20 are passed through the holes 16 of the rail seat, and the holes 22 of the clamps, and when the nuts are screwed up on said bolts 20 the clamps will "be drawn toward each other and the 'rail secured firmly onthe tie. v v

Having describedfmy invention and its use I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim A railway tie comprising two channelshaped members interlappedat their ineeting ends and pivoted together; co-acting boltsconnectin'g said members and limiting the pivotal movement thereof; a spring carried on said bolts; a rail seat in each of said members consisting V of a transverse metal plate havingits ends bent to engage the sides of said channel-shaped members; other portions of said plate shaped to rest on the bottom of said memberand apertured with a transverse slot and 'a hole; other portions of said plate shaped to rest against and fastened to the s ides of said cl'iannel-shaped member; a perforated clamp-adapted to engage in said transverse slotat one end portion and on the base of a railresting on said plate atthe other end portion; and a bolt passed through said clamps and rail seat with a nut thereon to draw said clamps toward each other at their free ends, i

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature. JOHN T. CLARK. 

